


The Thief's Apprentice

by Kristalette



Series: Glimpses of the Lives of Thieves and Mages [2]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition, Thief (Video Games)
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Father-Son Relationship, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-31
Updated: 2015-08-27
Packaged: 2018-04-12 07:40:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4470905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kristalette/pseuds/Kristalette
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>*Note! This was going to just be a single one shot related to my story "...Stole Your Name..." Originally planned to keep this short and sweet but... the plot bunnies wouldn't let me get away with that. This is a tidbit of backstory for MY Garrett. Wherein my Garrett was raised by Senior from the first few games and trained to be a Master Thief. His name in this story is Lethe due to him being raised in a church, the name was supposed to be a cruel joke by one of the sisters who found him. It means forgotten one, and Lethe (Garrett) hates it, and it's the reason he changes it. Also Lethe is about eight years old at this point, and he has not yet met the Trevelyans. This scene is literally right after he escapes both the church and the Watch.<br/>**FYI: this was part of the dream I had that sealed the deal on this crossover!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> *Lethe is Little Garrett, by one of the next OneShots he will "steal" the name Garrett.

Lethe* fluctuated between unconsciousness and relief from his terrible nightmares. He wanted desperately to escape the deep abyss of fear and the crack of a whip as it bit into his flesh. His fingers and wrists ached from lack of circulation and his stomach twisted into an impossibly painful knot.

He had the distinct thought that he was going to die, but the killing blow never came.

Instead, victory was his as he finally found the strength to crack his eyelids. His vision was blurry at first and his head was spinning, resulting in his stomach churning, ready to expel anything that was in it. One of the blurry objects began to identify itself, taking the form of a simple fireplace with a cheery fire glowing and crackling without a care. A chair and table stood near it to the right and a closed door was over his left shoulder.

The room was altogether unfamiliar to him. He was laying on one of his arms, which had long ago gone numb, probably accounting for parts of the dream. Lethe rolled into his stomach and groaned as his back and arm stung.

"Good. You're awake." came a gravelly voice from the other room.

Lethe whipped his head toward the open door way by his feet, only to yelp in pain and curl in on himself without catching so much as a glimpse of the man who had spoken.

"Take it easy, kid. You'll tear your stitches."

Stitches?

"Where-where am I?"

The man came into view and held a cup out to Lethe. The boy gingerly sat up, with the help of the mysterious stranger, before accepting the cup and taking a tentative sip. The stranger draped a scratchy blanket over his shoulders. Then he dragged the chair from the other side of the room and plunked down in it.

The man seemed to be in no rush to answer him; waiting patiently instead as Lethe scrutinised him, wondering who the man was.

Lethe handed the cup back, "thank you..."

"You're welcome, kid. How do you feel?"

Lethe squirmed under the man's sharp gaze, he decided its was best not to lie. The man seemed like he could see through him. "Really sore."

The man nodded, "I expected that. Anything else?"

His eyes said he already knew the answer.

Lethe swallowed, "my tummy is..." He made a fist, not knowing what word to use.

"That'll be because of the opium. Sorry about that."

"Who are you?"

The man smirked under his hood, a simple dip of his head and he seemed even more menacing. "I was wondering when you were going to ask me that. I'm the man who saved your life, kid. You don't have to fear me."

"I dont have to. But I do."

The hooded man chuckled darkly, "I give you full marks for honesty. What's your name, kid?"

Lethe chewed on his lip, not really wanting to give this man a name that he had despised since he was old enough to know what it meant. "I dont like it," he admitted finally.

"Then change it."

Lethe's eyes widened, that thought had never really occurred to him, "I don't.. Know what to choose."

"When you find one you'd like, steal it."

"Steal it?"

"I'm not going to give you one. Pretty sure no one else will. You'll need to steal the name you want." The man smirked again, "are you hungry? I'm afraid I'm not much of a cook but I have soup ready. It tastes like shit but it's hot. Interested?"

Lethe scrunched his nose at the thought of food. Not only that but his stomach lurched in protest. He shook his head, his hair falling in his eyes. The man brushed it away to get a clear look at his eyes. "You'll need to eat soon, I'd just assume get it over with."

"Why did you save me?" Lethe blurted out.

The hooded man sat back down in his chair and crossed his legs, his ankle resting on his knee. "First, I need to know why the Watch was after you."

Lethe swallowed hard and huddled in on himself, "please don't turn me over to them!" He cried. "I swear I didn't do it!"

The hooded man shook his head, "I never intended to hand you over to the Watch. What didn't you do?"

Lethe felt tears bud in his eyes and run down his cheeks unchecked. A technique he had used frequently on the Sisters in the Chantry. No woman wants to see a little boy cry and if he does it quietly? They melt like butter. One look at this man and he realised the ploy didn't work. That's when the tears turned real. "What do you want with me?"

"We'll see if you have any worth to me when you answer my question, boy. I suggest you do it fast. I'm losing my patience."

Lethe rushed to answer then, "Another boy... He told one of the sisters that I stole a ring. It was a lie! I haven't taken anything in months! I've been good! Sister Julia said they'd kick me out if they caught me stealing again so I stopped! I'm not dumb Mister, I know what happens to people who live on the streets of this City! They didn't believe me. They said I had reason to lie, that a thief never changes but I didn't I swear! I--"

"Okay, okay, I hear you kid. Relax. I believe you."

Lethe was taken aback, "you do?"

He nodded, "you stole from them before?"

Lethe dropped his eyes and sighed, "I took some candle sticks, some silverware and a small painting. I was going to sell them to a fence, but one of the sisters caught me trying to leave and made me empty my bag on the floor."

"Why did you steal from them?"

Lethe pursed his lips, "I wanted to run away. I hated it there. I never fit in, I always felt different."

"Different how?"

Lethe shrugged, "unwanted. Not good enough. All the other kids were there because their parents wanted them to have a better life or something. I'm an orphan. All the other kids said I was given up because my parents hated me. That they left me there because they never wanted to see me again."

The man shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "I'm willing to bet that wasn't the reason."

"Well I'm not." Lethe snapped, "I hate them."

The man skimmed over his comment, "what happened? After the boy accused you of taking the ring?"

"..one of the sisters.... Brought me outside and whipped me. Then... She tied me up and locked me in a room in the basement. She said she would hand me over to the Watch."

The man's nostrils flared in annoyance, "how did you escape?"

"I broke my bonds using a broken bed frame. And then I ripped some tines off and picked the lock with them. Then I grabbed my stuff and ran."

"You picked a lock with tines from a bed frame?" The man's mouth twitched on one side as if he was amused.

Lethe nodded, "or I broke the lock... It worked, that's all I care about."

The man leaned back in his seat, his smile widening. He interlocked his fingers together and rested his hands on his stomach.

"What?" Lethe asked at the odd look he was receiving from the hooded man.

"My thoughts are just amusing."

Lethe titled his head to the side in question.

"I'm thinking... I'm looking at my new apprentice."

"Apprentice? For what?"

"I like that you ask questions. You don't just dive in." The man leaned back and snagged a piece of paper from the table and presented to Lethe.

"Congratulations by the way. Your first wanted poster is always memorable."

Lethe stared down at the thick parchment, the ink image of himself glared back at him. Underneath were the words, "Lethe, wanted for theft and attempted assault. Considered armed. Wanted alive. 100 gold coin reward."

"You're now stuck between a rock and a hard place, kid."

Lethe looked up at the man. He smirked, as if this was a good thing.

"They put you in this position. But I can help."

"You can? How?"

"The way I see it you have two realistic options. You either turn yourself over to the Watch, they blackhand you, and you live on the streets for--"

"No!" Lethe snapped, "I will never do that."

The man's smile grew ever wider. "Then you're second option would be to accept my offer. Become my apprentice and I promise you, one day this city will be yours."

"What do you do?" Lethe asked hesitantly.

The man held his arms out and looked down at himself, "what do you think I am? A lion tamer?"

Lethe took in the hooded cloak, the dark clothes, the leather armor. "You're a professional thief?"

"I'll admit that with pride."

Lethe was only eight but he did truly consider the offer. The Chantry would never take him back, not that he would want to go back in a hundred years. He had no family, no home, no where to go. And this man he didn't even know was offering him a future, not only that but one he could enjoy. He considered the man as well. For some odd reason he felt he could trust this man. He hadn't let Lethe die of infection at any rate. And despite what he had said he really wasn't afraid of him.

Why?

Lethe was unsure but he felt.... So right when he stole. And this man was not only giving him permission, but he'd show him how to do it better.

Lethe held out his hand to the man, "yes, I wanna be your apprentice."

The man's hand engulfed little Lethe's as he shook it, "you won't regret this kid."


	2. "Just for Tonight"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lil Garrett is cute and manipulative

It had been only two days since he had left the Trevelyan household, and returned to his master in The City. The eight year old had been well fed, dressed in fine clothes and doted upon for half a month before realizing his only true love was stealing.

When he had returned, intending to beg the master thief for another chance, Senior laughed and invited him into his home. Saying he had asked Garrett to live without him, he had never said how to survive. And he had never given any limitations as to where he could go or what he had to do.

Senior had made him a little nest on his couch, made up of a blanket and a few pillows, with the promise that he'd get Garrett his own bed. It was comfortable, yes but Garrett kept finding himself flopping everywhere in the night and not getting much sleep.

He intended to sleep well tonight through sheer force of will, if need be. Though if the storm kept growling overhead, he realized that he may just have to burrow under the cushions to get any rest.

The boy stared at the back of Senior's head as he polished something over at his workstation. He huddled under his blanket and waited as the man meticulously cleaned the necklace, one clasp at a time. When he finally set it down Garrett was beyond relieved.

"Going to bed?"

Senior stopped to stoke the fire back into a content state before sliding the gate in front of it and slapping the ash from his hands. "In a few, why?"

Garrett sunk into the cushions a bit, "just wondering," as he spoke lightning struck outside somewhere near the apartment making Garrett clap his hands over his ears and grind his teeth. He never cared for storms or very loud noises so the thunder sent his heart hammering like crazy.

A hand rubbed the top of his head through the old blanket, "hey kid, don't worry. We're safe in here."

Garrett met his master’s mismatched eyes and twisted his face into his very best pout. "I'm still scared."

Senior sighed and sat beside his head, on the couch. "The lightning cannot get to us so long as we stay inside. I promise, you can relax here."

Garrett rested his ear on Senior's thigh and curled into himself as another round of lightning and thunder reverberated through the house. Senior stroked Garrett's dark, wispy hair, attempting to comfort the boy.

"Sounds like it's going to be a big storm." Senior noted, offhandedly. "Look, I'm just in that other room. If you get scared, come get me and I'll protect you. Okay?"

Garrett nodded and Senior gave one last ruffle to his hair before standing up and making his way to his room. Garrett listened and peeked through the open doorway as Senior snuffed out his candle and nestled into his bed. The sheets ceased making noise and soon a soft snore was heard from Senior's room.

Garrett attempted to cuddle into his spot and screwed his eyes shut. He was able to drift to sleep for a few minutes before another crack of lightning and thunder tore through the sky.

Garrett scrambled off of the couch and into Senior's room. Senior still slept but Garrett didn't care, he nudged his master's foot to wake him.

"Senior?"

The Master Thief opened his eyes a crack and groaned in irritation, "what is is now, kid?"

"Can I sleep in your bed?"

"Can't you sleep on the couch?" He grumbled.

Garrett clasped his hands in front of his chin and attempted another pitiful expression. "Please, Senior? I'm scared."

Senior glared at the boy and sighed, "fine. But only for one night."

Garrett couldn't help the smile that broke over his face as he burrowed under the blanket and wormed his way to Senior's side.

"Hey now kid. You sleep on that side." Senior growled, "you wanna cuddle you have a pillow."

Garrett scooched over a bit and settled in, feeling much safer despite Senior's annoyance. "Thank you," he whispered flopping onto his stomach and tucking the blanket over his shoulders.

"Yeah, yeah." Senior muttered, adjusting himself to fit two on his bed, "remember kid, this is only for tonight. Okay?"

Garrett nodded and fell asleep, even through the thunder and the lighting that plagued the City that night.

Senior ruffled the boy's feather soft hair and rolled over to get rest, unaware that that kid would talk his way into sleeping in the same bed with him for seven more years.

An odd thought occurred to Senior that night, when Garrett gradually gravitated toward him throughout the night. A thought that perhaps this kid was more than an orphan he had saved from the street. Senior never thought he'd become a father, in part because he never wanted children. He was a loner since he was young. But as he looked down at the kid's sleeping form he felt an odd bond of kinship form.

_Being a father wouldn't be so bad_ , he thought. _Especially if Garrett is the kid I am fortunate enough to raise._


End file.
